Railroad-tie.



No. 891,041. BATENTED JUNE 16, 1908. E. GOVINGTON.

RAILROAD TIE. APPLICATION FILED oo'r. 22,1907

WPM

i W whim? EDWARD COVINGTON, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

RAILROAD-TIE.

Application filed October 22, 1907.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1908.

Serial No. 398,639.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD COVINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Ties, of which the following is a s ecification. I

This invention re ates to railroad ties, and more particularly to a composition tie with which corn stalks or the like are mainly used and bound together with a suitable water-' proof cement or binding, the stalks being arranged in layers and interspersed wit binding of corn stalk pul coal tar, slack l me, and creosote or gilsonite, elateritc or the like, and the whole tie coated or incased in such composition and subjected to great hydraulic pressure while confined in a suitable mold.

The invention has for its objects to produce a tie which favorably compares with a wooden t e as regards its elasticity and which is ractically water or weather proof, firmly holds a spike-and which does not split and possesses the further desirable feature of being of comparatively long life, and of being cheaply made, since the main material thereof is practically available in all localities.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention com rises the various novel features which wil be hereinafter more fully described and set forth withparticularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invent on, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a tie. Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof drawn on an enlarged scale.

'lhc'ties are made in molds and subjected to hydraulic pressure so as to thoroughly. press the material together. The tie is made up largely of corn stalks or, corn, previously lm-pregnated with a suitable preservative, arranged in layers designated by a with the stalks extending longitudinally of the tie,

and between ad'acent layers is a composition I) which pr'eferalily consists of stalks reduced to a pulp and mixed with suitable quantities of coal tar, slack lime, and creosote or gilsonite, elaterite or the like, the said com )osition serving as a cement or binder and at t e same time giving to the tie water and weatherproof qualities. layers has been produced, a coating 0 of the same composition is applied to the mass so as to form a protective casing, and after this coating has been applied, the tie is compressed in the mold under hydraulic pressure so that the stalks will be tightly bound together to give the tie permanent form. After the tie is compressed, it is removed from the mold and is ready for use. A tie constructed in this manner possesses considerable elasticity and takes a firm hold on, the spikes, and by reason of the waterproof composition em ployed as a casing, the tie is of long life and does not readily decay.

The tie can be cheaply made as compared with steel or concrete ties and is of desirable weight.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. A tie composed of layers of stalks, a binding between the layers consisting of vegetable pulp, coal tar, slack lime, creosote or the like, and a coating of the same material as the binding for excluding moisture from the tie.

. 2. A tie consisting of layers of stalks impregnated with a suitable preservative, intermediate layers of a binding and waterproof compound compressed together with the stalks, and a coating of a waterproof compound entirely surronnding the mass and compressed therewith for forming a moisture-proof easing.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

I EDWARD COVINGTON.

Witnesses Fisnnn HAnius,

J. RoYLE, Jr.

After the required number of 

